Hygge

Hygge, have you heard of it?  I have my lovely neighbor Maura Farrell to thank for this revelation.    Hygge  made it to the front of the Sunday NYT Business section on Christmas day.   But Maura is a trailbblazer:  she posted this Popsugar article in November:

 

11 Ways to Embrace the "Hygge" Lifestyle and Find More Joy   

Have you ever had a wonderful night sitting by the fire with a glass of cocoa, enjoying the company of your loved ones, and just thought, "This is the life"? Well, that, my friend, is hygge. Have you woken up on a chilly morning, lit a candle, wrapped yourself in a blanket, and read a book? Hygge again. Escaped a stormy night by sitting around the dinner table discussing current events with friends? That's hygge, baby. 

Hygge, pronounced "HOO-gah," is a Scandinavian way of life that celebrates coziness, shared meals, and companionable interactions with loved ones. Emphasizing warmth, kinship, and an appreciation for the little things, hygge is a perspective on life that started in Denmark and has contributed to the nation's consistently high happiness ratings. Now, in times of stress and unrest, more Americans are turning to hygge as a way to find happiness from within.

Many see hygge as an excellent form of self-care, especially during seasons when weather-related depression runs high. By embracing the indoors, welcoming others into your home, and taking plenty of time to treat yourself to little luxuries, hygge is the ideal way to combat seasonal affective disorder.

Hygge!  It's the greatest concept ever.  I have spent most of my adult life fighting and complaining about winter.   It's such a revelation to me:  instead of fighting the winter, embrace it.  Instead of feeling like you should go out, light a fire and stay in: you'll be happier.  I returned to work today after ten days off.  There was holiday madness, yes, but mostly the Holt family firmly embraced Hygge.  And it was awesome. 

We did a lot of this:

in front of this:

and a lot of this.

don't judge.  it's really hard.

Hubble was an early adopter of Hygge.

In keeping with all things Hygge, I also led my sons on a hilarious wild goose chase in search of body butter.  They were looking for a gift idea and I told them I'd love some body butter.  But not too smelly.  Something earthy or herbal, not too perfumey.  And not too expensive.  Easy, right?  OMG a hilarious text exchange from TJ Maxx ensued.  They got me an awesome dri-fit shirt.

I read these three books:

I saw these movies

It wasn't all grins and giggles - life and its messiness did still go on - but on the whole it was pretty heavenly.  

So what does one COOK while embracing Hygge???   First up?  Chili.  

 Brown 2 lbs ground beef with one large chopped onion.

 Drain fat.  Add 4 Tbsp chili seasoning.  I make my own:

 Add it to the browned meat along with:

2 cups tomato sauce

one 12 oz jar salsa

1 or 2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

 Let it simmer for hours.  Then serve it up to a bunch of hungry boys.

I told them I was going to blog about Hygge.  

You can imagine the perplexed looks.

HYGGE.  Embrace it.  Happy 2017!